Capacity growth in communication and sensor networks suggests order of magnitude increases over the next decade. To satisfy this growth, wireless and optical network technologies will increase spectral efficiency through a combination of signal processing and device improvements. At millimeter-wave bands, high-order modulation such as quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM) is critical for backhaul links at the expense of higher peak-to-average power ratios. Similarly, coherent optical detection techniques for QPSK in 40/100 GbE optical networks have gained industry acceptance. Consequently, research into linear transmitters and receivers is favoring high-speed signal processing at low power consumptions. This talk will present high-linearity sampling techniques using SiGe and InP integrated circuit technologies for wideband track-and-hold amplifiers. Additionally, I will present a time-domain signaling approach for high-speed serial communication that attempts to achieve higher-order modulation while circumventing peak power limitations.

Biography

Jim Buckwalter is currently a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB). He joined the faculty at the University of California – San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA as an Assistant Professor in 2006 and was promoted to Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2012. He is the recipient of an IBM Ph.D. Fellowship, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award, NSF CAREER Award, and IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) Young Engineer Award. He is currently an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.